• Vladyslav Kushneryk, Chief Marketing Officer at Paystubsnow


• 23.04.2023 05:15 pm
undisclosed

Most freelancers, particularly those in creative fields, have a habit of performing free jobs to build a portfolio, gain exposure, or create future opportunities. Most freelancers, however, need to consider the time they will spend on that job, which they will never be able to recover. So, before you sell yourself to the lowest bidder, consider whether this is the best method to begin your career. 

Top reasons why we should never work for free:

“If you want to become wealthy, then FREE WORK is a big no."

Looking back, we can see that this generational 'work for free' phenomenon has existed for a while. Instead, it is a symptom of the Great Recession, when everyone attempted to cut costs, and a pool of unemployed young people was available to help. You must have encountered individuals asking you to work pro bono/free work as you progress in your career or business. This request is typically made in the early stages of our professional careers. A free job requires a significant time commitment, so avoid it if unsure. If you still need to be convinced, consider why you shouldn't do that job for free.

Free work reduces your profitability:

One of the main reasons people go to work is to make money. As a result, when you work for free, you reduce your chances of making a living. And it may harm your reputation in the marketplace because big businesses will not consider you seriously, no matter how talented you are. Working for free or in exchange for exposure cannot be used to cover costs. Working free of charge reduces your company's profitability. Every company spends time on routine tasks that cannot be attributed to paid work, but your unpaid time skyrockets when you start working for free. The price you charge for a job does not work out because you have more unpaid time in your work week. Moreover, it's better to get a ready paystub template for the timely management of money-related matters. 

Free work wastes valuable time:

Because time is money, working for free will reduce not only your skills but also your time. Essentially, you exchange precious time for no monetary reward, which you could have traded for a reasonable price. As a result, if working for free deprives you of extra time, it inevitably deprives you of more money. If you agree to do unpaid work, you're telling the customer that it's perfectly fine for your working relationship to continue in the same way, i.e., for free, which makes negotiating a fair price for a future project difficult. After all, why should they pay when they're already getting the benefits of a skilled, dedicated creative's labor with no strings attached? Accepting an unpaid commission is working for free unless your customer is willing to cover your food, beverages, and overhead.

Free work eliminates your working charges:

If you want your business to grow in the long run, you should only work for a fee. Assume you begin a pro bono job for a client. When you sort out to demand wages, it becomes a difficult job. As a result, reaching an agreement with the customer on a price may be challenging. This is because the client becomes used to spending no fees for your services. And perhaps unwilling to switch to a payment scheme. The primary reason to take free work is to improve your portfolio and provide you with valuable exposure. Consider that for a moment. To begin, how do you calculate exposure? When you're paid in cash, you know exactly how much your work made, but how do you know when you've gotten enough exposure? And what are you getting out of it? If you want to pay in 'exposure,' consider twice because it may not cover your bills.

Boundaries aren’t clearly defined:

The main reason to avoid unpaid jobs is that they have far fewer clearly defined boundaries. When a project develops, one of the first things to be determined is its budget, which decides the number of hours, people, equipment, and so on that will be required to work on it. But how can it have appropriate boundaries if it doesn't have a budget? Because your time has no monetary value for your client, they may begin to expect more and more of it, causing these small unpaid projects to grow into huge timewasters. However, once you've established a precedent, it can be challenging to convey to your client that you need more time to complete it.

Conclusion:

If you're starting, chances are you've been asked to work for free. However, remember that you are a business, and businesses must earn money to survive. Most business owners understand this because they, too, want to make money. However, if they are not respectful and realize that they must compensate you for your time, you should move on. Numerous clients will give you what you are worth. Discovering them may take a little longer if you put in the effort through social media, job applications, etc. 

You'll eventually find someone who will pay you what you're worth. Keep in mind that you have a talent set that clients want. If they're talking to you about doing work for them, they believe your skill set suits their company. It is a sign of respect to pay you for your job. With it, the client-freelancer relationship is in balance and positive.